Though most of The Hideaway takes place in Sweet Bay, Alabama, the delicious city of New Orleans is a hugely influencing factor, and there are several dishes mentioned in the book that made my mouth water—chocolate pie, hummingbird cake (my favorite!), seafood gumbo. I loved the big, bold flavors when I was in NOLA, as well as the abundance of fresh seafood, and when I came home from my honeymoon, I soon found a recipe for Cajun Chicken Pasta that I was itching to try.
While chicken’s all well and good, I decided to change the recipe up a bit and use shrimp instead, as well as alter the ingredients to suit my and my husband’s tastes. Below is my recipe for what the dish eventually evolved into – Creamy Cajun Shrimp. This is an easy weeknight meal, especially if you are just reheating leftover sides to go along with it.
The cream sauce is really what makes this meal. It’s hugely flavorful without being spicy, and it is just decadent enough that you could serve this dish for company and have them be a little bit impressed. I like my sauces a little on the heavier side, so I use a cornstarch slurry near the end. If you prefer a thinner sauce, feel free to leave the slurry out.
I find the amount of spice in this recipe is just right – a little heat but not enough that you need to take sips of water after each bite. While you’re making the recipe, the Cajun seasoning will look like it’s not adequately covering the shrimp, but trust me, a little bit of this stuff goes a long way! Unless you really like to bring the heat, start with the recommended one teaspoon, and tweak as necessary the next time you make the recipe.
Creamy Cajun Shrimp is best served over pasta (because, what meal is not best served over pasta? Except more pasta…and even then…), but I’ve also served it over white or brown rice. In the photos here, it’s served over cooked farro. (I was feeling a bit health-conscious that day, even though serving a cream sauce over a healthier side is a bit like ordering a Diet Coke with a Big Mac and fries.)
When I make carb or grain sides like rice, pasta, or farro, I usually make enough at one time to cover 2-3 meals. All this stuff tastes the same when reheated in the microwave, so it makes my life that much easier to just have a main dish to cook on a busy weeknight instead of a main dish AND a side. However, I will admit that with this Creamy Cajun Shrimp, I have been known to use the 2nd meal portion of pasta on Night #1 just to have a vehicle for shoveling more of that amazesauce in my mouth… Portion control has never been my strong suit. #Sorrynotsorry.
Creamy Cajun Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 lbs raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp lemon pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp cornstarch + 2 tsp cold water
- grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
Instructions
PREP INSTRUCTIONS
- Dice bell pepper and chop green onion, and combine in small prep bowl. Be sure to avoid the seeds and pith in the pepper unless you want a spicy sauce! Set aside.
- Combine the dried basil, lemon pepper, salt, and garlic powder in a small prep bowl. Set aside.
- Toss the Cajun seasoning with the shrimp. You can do this in a Ziploc bag, or you can just combine the ingredients in a shallow bowl using your hands. Set aside.
- Whisk together the cornstarch and water in a small prep bowl to create a slurry. Set aside.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add the pepper and onions, stirring to coat. Saute 4-5 minutes until the veggies are moderately softened.
- Add the seasoned shrimp, stirring to coat. Note: most people cook shrimp until they are pink and opaque, about 3-4 minutes, but I actually like my shrimp a little more done. I usually cook mine about 5-6 minutes, not counting the additional time they will spend cooking in the sauce.
- Once shrimp are mostly cooked, add the basil/lemon pepper/salt/garlic powder spice mix to the pan, stirring to coat.
- Slowly add the cream, stirring the pan as you stream the liquid in so it doesn’t curdle when it hits the hot pan. Once all the cream is added, deglaze the pan to loosen up all the yummy seasoned bits on the bottom.
- Heat the sauce through but do not boil, stirring occasionally.
- At this point, the sauce is pretty thin. If this is how you like your cream sauces, you can turn off the stove and plate it up! However, if you enjoy a thicker sauce, give the cornstarch and water slurry a little whisk to loosen it up, and then stream it into the pan, stirring as you go. Let the sauce bubble a bit so the slurry has time to thicken. Once the sauce is thickened, you’re ready to serve.
- Spoon shrimp and sauce over desired side and top with grated Parmesan cheese.
